An unsparing examination of contemporary marriage in Iran – honest, critical and at times humorous.
A bachelor who wavers between relationship anxiety and longing for love, a divorced woman struggling to survive and a man of faith who tries to reconcile the sexuality of others with his dogmas. Their stories revolve around the practice of temporary marriage, also known as marriage for pleasure, a Shiite tradition in Iran that allows a man and a woman to marry for a limited period of time. The marriage can last from one hour to many years – sometimes for five gold coins a year, sometimes for 100,000 toman. Legalized prostitution or a loophole for couples to live a relationship within the repressive law of the Islamic Republic of Iran – religious dogma meets macho sentimentality, meets female reality.
Iranian filmmaker Sudabeh Mortezai has created a dense, at times comical portrait of Iranian society that is highly interesting in every scene, and she manages not to discredit the people who appear before the camera: They all suffer, consciously or unconsciously, from a gender relationship that perpetuates injustice. The film is a profound survey of how state control of sexual morality exerts a fundamental influence on the well-being of an entire society. (Bert Rebhandl)
“Unauthorized sexual intercourse between unmarried men and women is considered fornication and is punishable by 100 lashes.”
(Article 88 of the Iranian Penal Code)
“If a man or woman engages in illicit sexual intercourse more than once and the punishment of flogging has been carried out each time, the person shall be put to death on the fourth occasion.”
(Article 88 of the Iranian Penal Code)
